Global Accessibility Compliance
Overview
Hub for navigating accessibility laws across jurisdictions. Helps determine which laws apply based on where an organization operates and who it serves, and cross-references jurisdiction-specific skills for detailed requirements.
Instructions
When advising on global accessibility:
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Identify where the organization operates and serves users
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Map to applicable laws using the jurisdiction table below
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Load the jurisdiction-specific skill for detailed requirements
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For technical WCAG auditing, use accessibility-compliance:wcag-audit-patterns
Jurisdiction Comparison
US (ADA) US (Section 508) EU (EAA) EU (WAD) Canada (AODA) Canada (ACA) Japan
Law ADA Title II/III Rehabilitation Act §508 Directive 2019/882 Directive 2016/2102 AODA 2005 ACA 2019 Discrimination Act 2016
Sector Gov + private Federal Private + public Public All (Ontario) Federal All
WCAG 2.1 AA 2.0 AA 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) 2.0 AA 2.1 AA (EN 301 549) 2.0 AA
Beyond web Physical facilities ICT procurement Hardware, kiosks, e-books No Public spaces Documents, apps, hardware No
Key deadline Apr 2026/2027 In force 28 Jun 2025 In force In force Dec 2027/2028 Voluntary
Max penalty $150K Remediation €500K Per state $100K/day AMPs ¥200K
Skill ada-compliance
ada-compliance
eaa-compliance
eaa-compliance
aoda-compliance
aoda-compliance
jis-accessibility
Quick Decision Guide
"Which law applies to us?"
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Serve US users or operate in US → ADA (Title II if government, Title III if private). Federal agency/contractor → also Section 508.
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Serve EU users or sell products in EU → EAA (private) or WAD (public). Applies regardless of HQ location.
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Operate in Ontario → AODA. Federally regulated in Canada → also ACA.
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Operate in Japan → Reasonable accommodations required (2024). JIS X 8341-3 recommended, not mandated.
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Multiple jurisdictions → comply with the most stringent applicable standard. Usually this means WCAG 2.1 AA + EN 301 549 for full coverage.
Practical Strategy for Multi-Jurisdiction Compliance
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Baseline: WCAG 2.1 AA — satisfies the technical requirements of all current laws
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Target: WCAG 2.2 AA — future-proofs against upcoming updates (EN 301 549 v4, ADA evolution)
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Beyond WCAG: If EU or Canada applies, also audit against EN 301 549 (documents, software, hardware)
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Physical spaces: If US ADA or Ontario AODA applies, audit built environment separately
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Accessibility statement: Required by EAA, WAD, ACA. Best practice everywhere.
Upcoming Changes
What When Impact
EN 301 549 v4.1.1 (WCAG 2.2 AA) Expected 2026 EU standard upgrade
ADA Title II 50K+ compliance April 24, 2026 US government websites
ADA Title II <50K compliance April 26, 2027 Smaller US governments
ACA Phase 1 — federal public sector December 2027 Canadian federal web pages
ACA Phase 1 — private businesses December 2028 Canadian federally regulated orgs
Related Skills
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ada-compliance — US ADA Title II/III + Section 508 (WCAG 2.1 AA, physical facilities)
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eaa-compliance — EU European Accessibility Act + EN 301 549 (products, services, hardware)
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aoda-compliance — Canada AODA (Ontario) + ACA (federal) (WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA, EN 301 549)
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jis-accessibility — Japan JIS X 8341-3 (WCAG 2.0 AA)
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accessibility-compliance:wcag-audit-patterns — Technical WCAG audit checklists, code examples, automated testing
References
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W3C WAI Policies: https://www.w3.org/WAI/policies/
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WCAG 2.1: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21/
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WCAG 2.2: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/